Cordova? or Cordova? (Memphis, Germantown: lawyers, houses, taxes)

[Longtimelistener]

I guess nobody paid attention last year when the state legislature passed the law making annexation illegal unless a majority of the residents being annexed vote for the annexation. That makes any area of Cordova not already in the grips of Memphis government safe from being annexed. We were part of the last unvoted annexation of Memphis(unluckily) but besides not getting much police service as we did with the county sheriffs not much has changed besides having to pay city taxes. There is a neighborhood right across the street that now will never be in the city and they have seen 10-20% bumps in their property values. We are in one of the nicer areas of Cordova though with house values from $200k all the way up to nearly a million bucks.
As far as schools go we are stuck with poorly run Shelby County Schools but it is too easy to transfer into either the Germantown Municipal district or Collierville school district to let that scare you away. We have kids in the GMSD and are very happy. With the money you save from not buying in Germantown or Collierville you will end up better off unless you see the house as an investment you will want to turn a profit on in 5-10 years.
The state legislature is also now looking very seriously into enacting deannexation laws which would lead to large areas of Cordova being unannexed. Don't know if that will happen but I never thought they would vote for the annexation by referendum law.

[Jacyln Bell]

Very interesting. Thank you. We are looking at housing as one factor of many. I was asking about Cordova/Cordova/Memphis because of the (bad) things we have been reading. IF we choose Memphis it will because of a number of important considerations. Whatever city we choose will have to meet some of our more than *basic* expectations and needs. We certainly would not want to buy a house in an area of Cordova then can't sell it in 5 years, that is unacceptable. Our next move probably is not for permanent residency in any city, so far. We are not on a 15-20 year plan at this point. So far, I can't see us in Memphis (or any city really) that long. There is too much to see, do and experience to be trapped. I can't imagine living in one single city or town my entire life, and the more I read this morning, the less likely the initial appeal of Memphis/Cordova is sustainable. We're trying to keep an open mind, but not so *open* that are brains fall out! But have some of you READ what is said about Memphis on fairly reputable websites? (SPerling, CityData, Tpix, Indeed, Forbes, CNNmoney, reddit, yelp just to name a few?) if any of you have other sites that give an accurate portrayal of Memphis please list them. I appreciate the information about the legislature and process of annexation, that runs counter to what I previously understood.

[CristenS]

Why do you keep writing Cordova/Cordova/Memphis? It makes no sense.

I'm not sure what you are expecting residents of Memphis to tell you. As PP said, you seem to have your mind made up that the city is crap and despite the positive things some people wrote, you keep saying you need other opinions. What do you expect? Some people love it. Some hate it. Just like any other city. We have no clue whether YOU will like it or not. We don't know you.

[Jacyln Bell]

Originally Posted by CristenS

Why do you keep writing Cordova/Cordova/Memphis? It makes no sense.

I'm not sure what you are expecting residents of Memphis to tell you. As PP said, you seem to have your mind made up that the city is crap and despite the positive things some people wrote, you keep saying you need other opinions. What do you expect? Some people love it. Some hate it. Just like any other city. We have no clue whether YOU will like it or not. We don't know you.

I expect little from the internet really, but your reaction is a little thin-skinned. I'm not asking whether YOU are in a position to determine whether we will *like* the city. We were trying to receive a fairly accurate portrayal of the city. We can make up our OWN minds, we were not trying to receive a personality assessment from YOU as a respondent! We were not asking you to KNOW US. We were seeking half-way objective truths/observations about MEMPHIS, not assessments of us. And I for one would disagree that "any other city" has the glaring bifurcations/divisions (of opinion, race, etc) of *love* and *hate* that we've been reading about and discussing with others personally and over the telephone. We would beg to differ that assessments about Memphis (so far) are "just like any other city". Your own kneejerk reaction validates that.

[Jacyln Bell]

I thank those who have responded with their own experiences and personal assessments. We, as potential newcomers, are not the ones on *trial". We are the ones putting Memphis as well as other cities on *trial". Simply put, we choose a city, a city doesn't choose us. I hope that makes sense. Some of you perhaps can't make other choices and you are stuck. That's not a position that we would want to be in, so we ask questions, read, talk and learn. We try not to wear blinders and walk in a *dark room*.


Thanks again.

[CristenS]

Your attitude is what contributes to bringing this city down. I hope you choose another city that is a better fit, on both ends. Good luck elsewhere.

[Jacyln Bell]

Whether you realize it or not, overly personal and feeble attacks on me or other posters doesn't strengthen Memphis' desirability, attractiveness or stature. Memphis' difficulties are difficulties brought on totally by its own residents, not by people like us asking legitimate questions and making observations. Our attitudes have nothing to do with your successes or failures, and we have not been in a position to *contribute* to either, so your personal attack only reflects poorly on YOU, not on me and my effort to learn by asking questions. Sometimes people resent questions. Some of us have learned not to blindly accept anything. That's called being experienced and exposed. Otherwise you have a very dull intellect and a backward population.


I will say that it seems you have found your ideal *fit*. You are in charge of all civic 'contributions', not us at this point. You are the responsible parties. My attitude has nothing to do with whether Memphis is brought *down*.


Good luck there. The area probably needs contributions such as yours. You're doing a great job.


You have helped in our process. Thanks.

[CristenS]

Oh I see what is going on now. Kudos to you, you had me fooled for a bit.

[85rx-7gsl-se]

Originally Posted by Jacyln Bell

Well, it sounds like you did not understand my interest in getting some varied good/bad opinion about Cordova/Cordova/Memphis, the atmosphere, the culture, lifestyle etc. I appreciate reading and learning from the perspectives/experiences given. I really do. Your response was almost like "love it or leave it" sort of thing. There are TWO of us involved in a physical (and emotional, mental) move. Both attitudes have to be weighted. Maybe you're one of those Memphis residents that the other poster talked about: ones that have never lived anywhere else? We both detected a bit of a theme of an apologist while visiting last time. An occasional strong whiff of what we called defensiveness. It was something hard to explain but we both felt it, so we weren't just dreaming. One other city we visited, we felt a similar thing. That was Birmingham (AL, not MI). The people there were *nice* too, but sort of obligatorily nice, with that "oh you must be a Yankee-type-Welcome" treatment. It was odd. We prefer not working and living our lives in places that are stuck in the past or still fighting the civil war, for sure. The feedback here is very much appreciated. I will say that although getting a lot of house for the money is entirely secondary to our interests, lifestyles and preferences because we have found that there are reasons why that exists in the first place and most times the reasons are not pleasant or progressive ones. We have 3 more stops to make, 2 more this month, SC and FL. Thanks!

Actually I am not from Memphis and I have lived in various parts of the Eastern US. My comment was solely in reference to your second post, which seemed to be less about questions for residents and more so a statement of the negative results your research had produced. Because one's own personal attitude (not meant in a negative manner) and outlook will have a large impact on how anyone adapts to a new environment, unless I had no choice but to move to a specific location, I would avoid moving places I already feel would be a bad fit for me and my family. I fully recognize Memphis is not for everyone and that it completely okay. Best of luck

[Blutbad]

Originally Posted by Jacyln Bell

I expect little from the internet really, but your reaction is a little thin-skinned. I'm not asking whether YOU are in a position to determine whether we will *like* the city. We were trying to receive a fairly accurate portrayal of the city. We can make up our OWN minds, we were not trying to receive a personality assessment from YOU as a respondent! We were not asking you to KNOW US. We were seeking half-way objective truths/observations about MEMPHIS, not assessments of us. And I for one would disagree that "any other city" has the glaring bifurcations/divisions (of opinion, race, etc) of *love* and *hate* that we've been reading about and discussing with others personally and over the telephone. We would beg to differ that assessments about Memphis (so far) are "just like any other city". Your own kneejerk reaction validates that.

Trouble is, there's no such thing as an "objective" appraisal of a city/place. Any observation will be based on one's own standards/expectations/preferences/desires/etc. What do you expect, that people are sitting around waiting to write reports for you?